grounddwelling

Grounddwelling refers to organisms that spend most of their life on or immediately above the ground surface, rather than in trees, water, or underground. In ecology, the term is applied to animals that inhabit the ground layer, including leaf litter, grass, soil surface, and other close-to-ground microhabitats. It contrasts with arboreal species that live in trees, aquatic species that inhabit water, and fossorial species that primarily dig or dwell underground.

Ground-dwellers include a wide range of taxa: birds such as quail and partridge; mammals such as hares, rabbits, ground squirrels, and many small rodents; reptiles such as skinks and many lizards; and numerous invertebrates such as ground beetles, spiders, termites, and earthworms. Adaptations vary, from running speed and camouflage to nocturnal activity, burrowing, and seasonal movement between microhabitats.

Ecological roles: they can be important prey for larger predators, contribute to seed dispersal and predation, influence plant communities through grazing, trampling, and soil mixing, and affect decomposition processes.

In field biology, ground-dwelling is a practical descriptor used in surveys of biodiversity, habitat assessment, and conservation planning. The category is not rigid; many species use multiple microhabitats across life stages or seasons, and human-altered landscapes can alter the balance of ground-dwelling communities.